Waistcoat
1740s (made), 1870 - 1910 (altered)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Eighteenth-century buttons are often elaborately worked, as seen in these examples made in the passementerie technique. The wooden core has five indentations on the top, into which silver foil has been pressed. Silver thread and purl (metal thread wound into a short coil) have been embroidered around the indentations. Such elaborate buttons complement the dense needlework, composed of coloured silks and a variety of silver threads embroidered in a late Baroque pattern of large flowers and leaves.
This waistcoat is thought to have been worn by William Morshead of Carthuther, Cornwall at his wedding to Olympia Treise in 1745.
This waistcoat is thought to have been worn by William Morshead of Carthuther, Cornwall at his wedding to Olympia Treise in 1745.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 3 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Embroidered satin with silk and silver threads, lined with ribbed silk and fustian |
| Brief description | Man's sleeved waistcoat of cream satin, embroidered with silk and silver threads, England, 1740s |
| Physical description | Man's sleeved waistcoat of embroidered ivory satin with silk and silver threads, lined with ivory ribbed silk and fustian. The cuffs of the associated coat have been added to the waistcoat. With a floral design. |
| Production type | Unique |
| Object history | This waistcoat is associated with the marriage of William Morshead (b. 1722) to Olympia Treise at Blisland, Bodmin, Cornwall, on 23 April 1745. Olympia Treise was the daughter and heiress of John Treise of Lavethan, Cornwall, while William went on to become Sheriff of Cornwall |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Eighteenth-century buttons are often elaborately worked, as seen in these examples made in the passementerie technique. The wooden core has five indentations on the top, into which silver foil has been pressed. Silver thread and purl (metal thread wound into a short coil) have been embroidered around the indentations. Such elaborate buttons complement the dense needlework, composed of coloured silks and a variety of silver threads embroidered in a late Baroque pattern of large flowers and leaves. This waistcoat is thought to have been worn by William Morshead of Carthuther, Cornwall at his wedding to Olympia Treise in 1745. |
| Bibliographic reference | Hart, Avril and Susan North, Historical Fashion in Detail: The 17th and 18th Centuries, London: V&A Publications, 1998, p. 114
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.94:1, 2-1931 |
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| Record created | August 16, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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